Personality Studies

Thomas, Chess and Birch 1977Aim - To test if ways of responding to an environment are stable throughout life.Method - 133 children were studied and observed for behaviours in the first 25 years of their lives. Their parents were also interviewedResults - They found that the children fitted into one of three categories: easy, difficult or slow to warm up. The type of the child was stable throughout their life.Conclusion - Temperament is innate as the children responded to the environment in the same way throughout their lives.Evaluation - Longitudinal Study - More evidence to support claims                    - All the children were from middle-class New York families so perhaps the results can't be generalised                    - The parents may be biased or give false information in interviewsBuss and Plomin 1984Aim - To test the idea that temperament is innateMethod - 228 DZ and 172 MZ twins were studied (observed and parents interviewed). They then scored the children on three scales: emotionality, sociability and activityResults - They found that MZ twins' scores had closer correlation than DZ twins' scoresConclusion - Temperament has a genetic basisEvaluation - MZ twins may've had a more similar upbringing than DZ twins which would explain the closer correlation                    - Scoring based on such scales is highly subjective and unreliable                    - Cannot be generalised to whole population as only twins were researchedEysenck 1947Aim - To investigate the personalities of 700 servicemenMethod - Eysenck gave servicemen a questionnaire which he then analysed using a method known as factor analysisResults - Eysenck identified two scales of personality: extroversion-introversion and neuroticism-stabilityConclusion - Everyone can be placed on the two scalesEvaluation - He only used a limited sample for his research so had he used more his results would've had more evidence to back them up                    - He used questionnaires. The answers given could've be false or reflect moods at the time rather than actual facts                    - He only used male servicemen. This means perhaps his results shouldn't be generalised to the whole populationRaine et al 2000Aim - To test the theory that APD is caused by anomalies in the brainMethod - 21 men with APD and 34 men without APD were given MRI scans of their brainsResults - Men with APD had 11% reduction in prefrontal grey matter compared with the men without APDConclusion - APD is caused by a reduction in the brain's grey matterEvaluation - He only used men so the results can't be generalised to women                    - He only used limited samples of both groups. Had he used more he may've found more or contrasting evidence                    - It is unclear whether the reduction caused APD or APD caused the reductionFarrington 1995Aim - To investigate the development of offending and APD in males from childhood to the age of 50 Method - A longitudinal study was carried out with 411 inner-city males, followed from 8 to 50. Their parents were also interviewed and the police were contacted about whether any of the participants' families had any criminal recordsResults - 41% of males were convicted of at least one offence between the ages of 10 and 50. Factors responsible included criminal behaviour in the family, poverty, poor parenting and low school achievementConclusion - Situational factors lead to a development of APDEvaluation - As parents were interviewed, biased or exaggerated answers may've been given thus affecting the conclusions's reliability                    - This wasn't a controlled experiment so other factors like biology weren't considered                    - Only males were used so results shouldn't be generalised

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